Pulling It Together
by whoalookingcooljoker
Summary: Akira Kurusu returns home only to find his parents murdered and his house empty. It is then that he is haunted by his past. Luckily, he manages to find solace in his former Phantom Thieves, especially one in particular. Protagonist is called Akira Kurusu because the anime has not been released yet.
1. Chapter One

Chapter One

It seemed that no matter where he went, horrors would still find their way to him. How naïve of him to think that after all this time, everything would be okay. He was, of course, promised a life that was destine to ruin, and ruin followed him two steps at a time. To think that it would come to this, of all things...

"Akira…" said Morgana, barely audible - at least, that's all Akira could hear through the ongoing noise in his mind. It was so loud yet so silent at the same time, it confused him. The sound was all he had that made him realize the scene before it, and it was pounding louder and louder, it began to hurt. He couldn't take it anymore, it was overwhelming his senses. On and on was the cacophony until it finally broke through his thoughts and into reality. The screaming in his mind became one with his own as Akira Kurusu broke down in front of the lifeless bodies of his parents.

The neighbors must have heard all the commotion, because within a few hours, the police had arrived to check the scene. Not only had they been murdered, but all their belongings just… disappeared. Luckily, Akira had composed himself by the time they'd arrive. Unluckily, they had begun to interrogate him.

The last thing he wanted was to be pestered and questioned about what happened. He had no idea himself. For him it had just been an average day, he went to school, then to work, and walked back home. He could not stress this enough to the detectives that had arrived on scene. To further his annoyance, they had started questioning whether or not he had been the culprit of the murder, given his past with a "certain group", plus a numerous of other instances in the past year. These people disgusted him if they thought that he'd be capable of killing his own family.

"Those insensitive bastards." He could hear Morgana clearly now after the interrogation. "Trying to see if you're at fault for this. They'll never change." Hearing his friend voice his thoughts eased Akira's insides. He felt lucky for at least having him by his side. They both took a seat on the sidewalk in front of his house, looking at the street light lit neighborhood in the middle of the night. The police were making calls and doing their work, and Akira felt perfectly fine staying away from them.

He felt his phone vibrate. Odd, who could be texting him now of all times, so late into the night. When he pulled out his phone, he felt surprised that the message was from the group chat.

Makoto: Akira, I'm so sorry… Sis told me everything she knew.

Ryuji: What happened?

Ann: Is he okay…?

Makoto: I'm sorry, I should have called you and shouldn't have said anything in the group…

Akira: Its okay, I'm glad you did.

Ann: Akira, what's going on?

Akira: My parents were killed.

Ryuji: Holy shit…

Yusuke: I'm terribly sorry to hear that…

Akira saw that the other members had said more in the group, but he put his phone away for now and buried his head in his hands. He felt guilty for worrying them, but relieved that he managed to let them know. They deserved to know as much, even after their separation, especially after all they've been through together.

"They seem worried, but it's only because they really care for you." Once again, Morgana resonated with his thoughts in perfect synch. It looked like he was about to say more, but one of the detectives came up to him.

"We'll be around the area for the night, searching for the culprit and further investigating the scene. As for you, according to what you said earlier, you have to other relatives that can take you in for the time being." He seemed to pause, trying to find the correct words.

"Given that you're a minor, we can't just let you go out on your own and find your own way of managing. We managed to contact someone who will allow you somewhere to stay and who will look out for you for now. Whether this person decides to be your permanent guardian is up to them."

Akira didn't have the energy to care who this person was. He should've been surprised that someone would want to keep him in their home, but he had other things to worry about.

"We called him quite a while ago," the detective continued, "so he should be arriving soon."

He had spent over an hour sitting on the sidewalk before a familiar yellow car pulled up near him. At first, Akira thought it was a taxi, but taxis rarely pulled up on his street, much less at 4 AM. When the driver rolled his window down, Akira was in shocked to see who it was. With a solemn look in his eyes, Sojiro Sakura had come all the way here for him. Despite the night he had been having, seeing his former guardian sent a comfortable warmth through his body, Akira couldn't help but to jolt to his feet.

Detective Nobody came over once again to greet Sojiro, then he turned to Akira. "I assume you're familiar with Mr. Sakura. He will be taking care of you from now on." Akira gave Sojiro a look, not believing the detective's words, seeking confirmation from him. Sure enough, he had heard correctly as Sojiro only gave him a reassuring nod and helped him pack the only belongings he had left into his car.

"Some night, huh?" Sojiro stated as they were driving away from Akira's hometown. "Listen, why don't you and the cat sleep for a while? I'll wake you when we get there."

And so he lay down on the back seat, Morgana curling up on his chest. The restlessness and anxiety had disappeared as they were crushed by the weight of everything he had gone through that day.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

It was already dawn when they had arrived. Akira awoke, groaning as his dreams were interrupted. He could've sworn that his parents were alive, but that had only been his imagination.

Once he entered the café, it was like magic had gone through him and all his worries and thoughts had disappeared. He was back to his favorite place on Earth. The smell of coffee beans and curry spices were like medicine to his nostrils. Even though he'd only been gone for a month, he had missed this place dearly.

He dragged his luggage upstairs to his old storage room, and he was surprised to see the place exactly as he left it – decorations and everything - except a bit dustier.

"I wasn't planning on getting rid of anything, in case you decided to stop by and visit sometime. I'm glad I didn't." Sojiro came upstairs to take a look into the room, the nostalgic look in his eyes matching Akira's. "Although, I have no problem with you staying in my place, if you want."

Akira smiled for the first time in hours, shaking his head at Sojiro. "No, that's okay. I like it here."

Sojiro chuckled. "I expected as much. You still have your old key, right? In that case you know the rules already, and feel free to make yourself some coffee and curry whenever you want. You still remember, do you?"

"How could I forget?" Akira had spent the entire month cooking curry for his family, trying to perfect the techniques that Sojiro had taught him.

"Good, then don't mind me if I ask you help around the shop." Akira smiled at him. Sojiro knew well enough that he'd be delighted to help him out, especially after taking him in...

"Look, about everything that's happened… I wanted to let you know that – well, if you want to that is – that I can legally and permanently take care of you from now on."

Akira held back a sigh of relief. Was he kidding? Of course he'd want that! There's no other place he'd rather, though he felt guilty. He'd be the second kid Sojiro would have custody over. "I'd really like that."

"Then it's settled. I'm going to call Shujin and let them know that you'll be coming back. You still have your old uniform, don't you? Also, I'm sure the others will want to see you today."

"Do they know I'm here?"

"I don't think so, but I'll tell Futaba to let them know." Sojiro then made his way downstairs as we began talking on the phone. Akira took a seat on the edge of his bed, Morgana following suit.

"This place never changes, does it? Still, I can't say I'm not happy to be back." Morgana said. "Besides, guess this means that we're free to have chief's cooking as much as we want."

He made himself some coffee and spent his morning cleaning up his room. Once he was done he had received a phone call, his heart pounding as he picked up.

"Are you okay?" Her voice was concerned and full of pain, tugging at Akira's emotions. How endearing it was to see that she cared, how amazing it felt to hear her voice. It was the perfect escape.

"I'm okay now, Ann. How about you?" He tried to sound confident, though he swore that his voice was a bit shaky.

"I'm worried about you. I-I mean everyone is. Have you heard from them?"

"Yeah they all texted me last night."

Ann took a sigh of relief over the phone, which placed a small smile on Akira's face. She remained quiet, which was very unlike her. Akira knew she was trying to find the right thing to say. Ann always knew what to say. This time it was his turn. "Don't worry about me. I really am okay right now."

"How could I not worry? You don't deserve any of this! It's just not fair after everything you've done." She paused for a second and then continued on. "We all want to see you so we're going over to visit you in your hometown. Who knows, we might even take you on another road trip, if you're up for it."

"That's okay. I'm already home. Why don't you guys come over to Leblanc today?"

"What? Wait you're in Leblanc?" Suddenly, her calculated, careful tone changed to the typically excited tone she usually has. "Okay! Let me go tell everyone else, I'll see you later!"

"Lady Ann's coming over, right? I should go clean myself!" And with that, Morgana went to who knows where to wash himself.

The first one to arrive was Futaba. She came bustling into the shop in her usual energetic and quirky manner, tackling Akira in a hug. Akira knew that she understood how he felt more than anyone, but was glad that she didn't bring up his parents to her. Instead she demanded that he cook her curry. He had no problem with that. Futaba was like a little sister to him, after all.

All while pestering Morgana, Futaba went on about how she had started school as a second year in Shujin. She said that it wasn't as bad as she thought, but it was scary at first. Akira felt proud of her for trying to overcome her fear of going out. She went on to talk about how Ann and Ryuji looked after her, even though they were third years. She mentioned that Yusuke is doing great with his art and that Makoto was attending a college not so far away. As for Haru, while she was studying, she was also busy handling the café branch that Okumura Foods was planning.

Her excited rambling was interrupted when the café door opened. Everything went quiet. It was a stare down between him and his other friends, the look on their faces calculated as if they didn't know whether to be happy to see him or feel sad for what had happened. Akira wished that they weren't so indecisive, for even he didn't know how to control the mood he should be feeling. He thought it best to enjoy being with them. In fact, that's exactly what he needed in order to distract himself from those fresh thoughts of his parents.

"Yo. How come you didn't tell us you were stayin' here?" Ryuji was the first to break the tension, to which Akira could only smile at, giving his blonde friend a small shrug.

After that, it all went easy for them. They came bustling toward in a high unanimous tone, each one having their turn to hug the breath out of him.

Ryuji was the first, even though he kept making excuses about how he's only hugging him because of the time apart.

Haru came next. "It's so good to see you again!" Akira, towering over her felt her place her head on his abdomen as she squeezed him with all her might. "I'm sorry, it's just been so long!"

Makoto was the most nonchalant about the greeting, though Akira knew that it was because she was too busy feeling worried. Her hug was brief but comforting. Like a quiet sense of reassurance. "You're here. We're finally all together again." Akira could have sworn that she sounded like she had a sore throat, but he'd just hug her back with the same reassurance.

Yusuke lingered on for a bit too long, though Akira wasn't surprised nor bothered about this. This _was_ Yusuke after all, so his strange manner of personality was nothing new to him. Never-the-less, he definitely missed it. "Old friend, your arrival as sparked a new flare inside all of us!"

Finally, there was Ann, who looked like everything that stood before her would be too good to be true, as if one false move could have it disappear all over again. At least, that's what Akira thought from looking at her, because he was giving her the same exact look. There was a pause while there was space between them, due to nerves or awkwardness, Akira didn't know. The last time they had been together, they were slowly progressing on _being together_. Unfortunately, due to the obvious situation that they were in while being the Phantom Thieves, that could not happen. There was also the fact that he attended Juvenile Hall for two months. Things had really slowed down between them before Akira could show Ann how he felt.

He thought that being away would help him forget and out those thoughts out of his mind, but Ann was living proof that that was impossible. He still wondered if she knew already or if she felt the same. Maybe she did, that could be the reason why she sometimes acted awkward around him.

He was interrupted when Ann threw her arms around his neck hysterically, catching the others by surprise. It wasn't easy to hear, but due to her face being buried in the crook of his neck, Akira could hear her sob. Slowly, Akira hugged her back softly, letting out a deep breath.

"Jeez, Ann. You're gonna end up chokin' the guy." Ryuji interrupted, making Ann to step away and glare at him.

"Oh, Shuddup." That was all she could say, giving everyone in the café a reason to laugh.

As everyone went to say their hellos to Morgana, Akira began cooking some curry and coffee. He felt at ease for once, happy even. Although it was momentary, he cherished it. These people were the most important people in his life, and despite it all, he was lucky to have them.

"The hell are you doin'? We should be the ones cookin' for you!" Ryuji was as loud as ever, Akira noted.

"I agree, although I don't believe we're quite as good at making curry as you or Boss," Yusuke chimed in. "Although, I am willing to try if I were under your guidance, of course."

He kindly had to decline the offer, for there was no problem with him cooking curry. In fact, he quite missed cooking in Leblanc, since he knew that whatever ingredients he had back at the hometown, they wouldn't hold a candle to Leblanc's cuisine. In any case, he didn't think that Sojiro would be happy with Ryuji and Yusuke handling his kitchen.

As he was cooking, the group settled down while they waited for the curry to prepare. Some small talk broke through them with Akira remaining mostly quiet while Morgana had taken the job of answering most of the questions in regards to his activities while he was away. At least, that's what Morgana's intention was at first. In the end, he just ended up complaining about how miserable it was to be in the middle of nowhere.

Akira just kept stirring the pot absentmindedly, his mind beginning to wander. He knew it wasn't a healthy habit, especially now, but it was a habit that'd have trouble killing.

When he arrived back home, Akira had planned a dinner for his family, curry with some coffee. He'd gotten the ingredients himself and prepared the food himself. It was meant to be a surprise as well as an apology for everything that's happened for the past year. Truth be told, Akira felt excited.

His parents had always been distant with him, even before he got arrested. Could he blame them? Not really. He was a troublemaker by nature, but his parents him branded him a trouble finder. It wasn't true. He'd have the luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time every time. It didn't help that he also had a sense of justice since he was young.

In middle school and throughout his first year of high school, Akira had always gotten into trouble because he'd constantly get into fights. It was unjust that he had to pay the price for defending himself and other people who had to deal with selfish pricks that had nothing better to do than to treat others like dirt. Not that his parents would ever understand that. All they cared about was honor.

The final nail in the coffin was when Shido had him arrested and sued his family. He knew it was over between his parents and him. To be honest, their anger is what scared him the most about the whole ordeal.

"You goddamn problem child," His father spat. It was the night after he had been arrested. His parents were furious. His mother was crying from the anger and his father looked like he was about to beat him. "You just had to stick your nose into someone else's business and now look what it cost you. This is money that we don't have, and it's all your fault."

"I want him out." Akira could barely believe his ears. He had to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Did his own mother just say she wanted him to leave? Where would he stay? Sure, matters were horrible, but was that really a necessary decision? "I don't care if he's on probation, we are not—"

"Mom—"

"We are NOT housing a criminal. He's gone too far this time. We can't handle any of this anymore." It was that bad. She wouldn't even look at him, let alone speak directly to him. It was as if Akira Kurusu did not exist to his parents anymore, and he was furious."

"You can't just kick me out like that!" As soon as he raised his voice he regretted it. Soon he was coiling back down to his seat, rubbing the stinging pain that had landed across his face as soon as he'd gotten the guts to speak up. His mother had slapped him.

He was sent to Tokyo after that, which turned out to be the best that had ever happened to him in a long time. It was there that he had met his closest friends, after all. Still, during his whole year there, not a single phone call did he receive from his parents. He did try contacting them from time to time, but they would never pick up.

So he was sure – So positively sure – that this dinner would loosen the tension between them. Akira was determined – dare he say it – to steal his parents' hearts.

But he was wrong.

The dinner was awkward and painful to say the least. The parents were uninterested and apathetic. It took a lot of begging on his part to convince both of them so that they could eat together. He never should have done that. They're hesitation should have been a clear sign that it was a bad idea from the start, but Akira was no quitter, and he was determined to make it work.

They barely talked during the dinner, and seldom gave any comments about the food, but he didn't pay much mind to it. The distasteful mood was apparent in the air, and Akira was done trying to please them. It didn't take long before they started attacking him. They had somehow found out that he ended up in juvie, though – thank goodness – they didn't know the true reason why. They mocked him for wasting his time cooking curry when he should have been focusing on becoming a useful member of society.

That night it took a lot of energy to convince Morgana to not claw they're furniture. But his furry friend was right, if they were going to be ungrateful towards his hard work, then why bother spending time at home? It was then that he occupied himself. He had a job after school and a job in the evening. When he had spare time, he'd stay in the school library studying, isolated from everything else – not like he had other people to spend time with, anyway. He'd go to work at night only to come home late and go straight to his room so he could sleep.

Akira guessed that his parents turned out to be right in the end. He truly was an ungrateful problem child. Even now, after their death, he had been resenting them instead of grieving them like any other son would. It made him feel so guilty, that he figured that he might as well deserved to be killed, not his parents.

There was silence in the usually cozy coffee shop. Silence seemed impossible when you had seven teenagers and a cat overcrowding his small home. Akira only came to realize how quiet it was when he hot wet line sliding down his cheek. A small sob later and he realized that he'd been zoning out and about to cry in front of his friends. Goddamn, he needed to keep it together. Now was **_not_** the time to be breaking down. The last thing he wanted was to worry everyone.

He looked over at them and they were all staring back, all with the same expression. It ripped his insides apart seeing them so confused and hurt. They all looked like they wanted to say something, some even looked like they were about to cry – namely Ann and Haru.

Soon Akira felt a hand on his back guiding him towards one of the booths. He didn't really look over to see who it was, but judging by the fact that everyone else was sitting down, he somehow knew it was Makoto.

"Akira... I owe a great deal to you," Yusuke seemed to be staring at the Sayuri painting hanging on the café wall as he spoke up, "so if there is anything you need or want to talk about – anything at all – I'm here."

"Yeah, man. I know I'm not the best with words and shit, but we're all here for you. We care about you and it breaks our hearts to see you like this. If there's anythin' you need from us, just say the word." Akira could only give his best friend a small smile as he tried to comfort him.

Akira remained quiet for a few seconds, folding his hands on the counter. He was pondering whether or not he could burden his friends with his thoughts. Was he even allowed to? He was so used to being the rock, to be on the listening end. It felt so strange, thinking about speaking your feelings. Then again, these people had once trusted him with their life, so what kind of friend would he be if he couldn't do the same?

"Go ahead… you can talk to us." Ann's soft voice broke through. How did she know what he was thinking?

After several deep breaths, Akira tried to find the right choice of words. "I feel guilty…" He paused for a second but spoke up before anyone could ask them why. It was bound to happen due to the confused look on their faces. "I'm sad that they're gone, but I don't feel any grief. I'm not sure what kind of person that makes me or what kind of son. And what's worse is that—"He stopped himself before he could continue. What they would think about his following words mattered the most to him. He did not want them to call him a monster, he wanted to them to understand. Worst of all, he was afraid that they'd agree with those thoughts.

"My parents always used to say how ungrateful I was and that all I did was bring them problems. I resented them for that. All I can think about now is that resentment still follows me, even after they died. That bitter relationship we had never changed. Maybe they're right… maybe I _am_ ungrateful."

Akira felt strange, so very out of place. Never had he ever been so far off from his laid back, quiet personality. Never had poured so much of himself towards others. He was the type to resolve things on his own, without dragging others into his mess. He was willing to help anyone, since it gave him the false hope that he could help himself.

Silence again.

Of course he was entirely wrong in saying so much. What was he thinking? They were right, they were all right. He was horrible and he didn't deserve to—

"When Father died, it was hard to believe that it had actually happened." Akira looked up, not realizing that he was avoiding eye contact. Haru was giving him an intense look, the same one she had when she was determined to change her father's heart so many months ago. "To be quite honest, I felt a bit numb for the first few days. The only time I wasn't numb was when I was regretting. I regret not making peace with Father. I regret that I didn't to make him happy. I even thought that marrying that man he had arranged to be my husband would set things right. A day before the funeral, it all came sinking in. That's when I realized that my father was truly gone."

She paused and took a deep breath. Akira could only imagine how hard it was for Haru to open up about this, especially when it was not too long ago. However, opposite of Akira, she looked strong. "I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but hopefully it helps you see that I understand what you're going through."

"Remember how I kept blaming myself for my mom's death? Well, thanks to you guys I realized that I was so wrong about everything I thought about her. Maybe it's the same for you, Akira." It surprised him that Futaba knew just what to say. It shocked him even more that she was openly talking about her mother.

"Still, that's some bullshit, callin' you a problem child and all."

"Ryuji!" Ann chided him immediately, glaring knives at him.

"Look, it's just not effin' right, okay? You just don't say that shit to your own kid!" Though it was sudden, knowing that Ryuji hadn't changed his temper a single bit cheered Akira up a little.

"Still it's disrespectful! You can't just say the first thing that comes to your mind like that!"

"Lady Ann is right, you know. Then again, when has Ryuji ever shown respect toward anyone?"

"What did you say you stupid cat?" Ryuji was now glaring at Morgana, balling his fists.

"I am _not_ a stupid cat, you blonde meathead!"

"Will you two _shut up_? You're being incredibly insensitive right now. We're getting way off topic."

"Ann's right, you two. Please give it up." Makoto, who had been quiet since Akira poured his feelings to them, had finally spoken up. She was biting her nails throughout the whole moment, a habit of hers that she'd do whenever she felt anxious, Akira noted. She kept looking like she wanted to say something or ask more questions, but looked like she'd be intrusive if she did. Akira gave her a look that said that he was perfectly okay with it.

"How did you feel when—" She paused, took a deep breath as if she was afraid of the answer, and then continued, "when it happened?"

"I didn't see it when it happened. I simply returned home and they were just…"

"Right, I'm sorry for asking. You shouldn't have to relive that moment. God, I'm so stupid for even asking."

"No, it's okay." Akira actually felt like continuing. It was soothing to have people he could trust. "The police arrived about an hour later and they started asking me questions – well, more like interrogated me."

"What did they ask you?" Yusuke asked, raising his eyebrow at him. "I just think it's strange that they'd interrogate you after such a gruesome occurrence."

"They asked just about everything. Where was I when it happened, what was I doing, some background information. At one point they brought up the Phantom Thieves. Your sister's name came up, Makoto. I assume they contacted her because of that."

"So that must be how Sis found out so quickly. Sorry, go on."

Akira nodded slowly. "At some point they even considered that I was the culprit, but all facts stated otherwise."

"How biased of them to shift the blame to you just because you were related to the Phantom Thieves." Yusuke spat out angrily.

"Still, at least they had some logic into them. I mean, this _is_ his parents we're talking about here. Phantom Thief or not, it wouldn't make any sense for him to just kill them." Akira looked over at Ann who was fairly quiet save for the Ryuji vs Morgana deal. Ann catched his glance as she also threw him a look. It was a quiet and very intimate exchange, but it was enough to spread a genuine smile across Akira's face, even if it was extremely small. It was all more rewarding to see Ann return the smile.

"Everyone… Thank you. I don't think I deserve a team as great as amazing as you guys." Everyone grinned at his words, denying in group that it was them that didn't deserve him. "Why don't we all have some curry now?"

The rest of the afternoon was a lot easier compared to the heart to hearts. Even Akira was in the mood for joking around and talking. He really did feel like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

They had curry and coffee (Except for Ryuji and Futaba, who settled for some Hot Chocolate) and they talked just about anything: the past, the present, the future.

"So Akira," Ann asked as they were both sitting together in the booth, one next to the other. Akira was very much aware that their shoulders were touching as they talked. Ryuji, Haru, and Makoto were sitting across, while Morgana was being entertained by Yusuke's and Futaba's arguing. "were your friends happy to see back?"

Akira smirked, knowing what Ann actually meant, but he still decided to go with the joke. "I don't know, are you guys happy to see me back?"

"You idiot, she's talkin' 'bout your friends back home." Ryuji smirked as well.

"My old friends stopped talking to me after I got sued, so they didn't really care that I was back. Guess it didn't look well to hang out with a 'criminal' after all."

"Those jerks," Ann seemed rather annoyed, "I bet they'd be all over you if they knew you were a Phantom Thief."

"That is quite horrible of them, but don't let it bother you that much. You do know that you have us, right?" Haru asked innocently, to which Akira could only smile and nod.

Before evening, even Sojiro had joined the party. He had gone home after dropping Akira off in the café that morning to get some rest. He did pick him up pretty late at night after all. Akira was glad to see that he wasn't bothered that he couldn't open up shop, since he knew his friends wanted to see him.

Little by little, his friends had to leave once it started getting late. The firsts to leave were Haru, Makoto, and Yusuke. Then it was Sojiro and Futaba, with Sojiro reminding Akira to close the shop before he went to bed. Morgana had gone upstairs to sleep. When Ryuji was about to leave, he raised an eyebrow at Ann.

"Aren't you coming? The trains are gonna stop passing by soon."

"I'll be leaving soon, don't worry. I'll just have one more cup of coffee before I go."

"Whatever, then. Anyways, see ya, Akira! You better be goin' to school tomorrow. God knows it's sucked since you left."

After he left, Akira had moved behind the counter and put on the apron so that he could prepare Ann's coffee, to which she just giggled as she looked at him, "I wasn't serious about the coffee, you know?"

He sat back down across from her, smiling a little, but still feeling confused. He waited a few seconds so that Ann could continue.

"To be honest, I just wanted to spend some time with – er, here. I hope you don't mind." Akira didn't mind at all, and the look in his eyes was enough to give her confirmation of such.

Ann's nose had turned a slight salmon pink and she was already twirling her pigtails with her fingers. Akira knew that no one would say anything at this point, so he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"How's Shiho? Have you talked to her lately?" Immediately, her eyes lit up with a new profound excitement at the mention of her best friend. Ann's rosy cheeks disappeared as a grin swept across them.

"She's doing great, actually! We talk as much as we can, usually over the phone or through video chat. She's made good friends at her new high school and she's slowly recovering from everything!" She bit her bottom lip as if she were trying to choose the correct phrasing. "I actually went to visit her a little bit after you left." Ah, now he understood why. Ann thought Akira would be upset that she visited Shiho and not him.

He gave her a wide grin, leaning forward in interest so that she could see that he wasn't upset at all. In fact he was very happy for her. "How did that go? Did you two have fun?"

"Yeah! She lives in the country side, which is super pretty. Kind of like your hometown. And guess what? She's back to playing volleyball!"

"She's really gotten stronger since last time, hasn't she?"

"It's almost like I can't keep up with her, right? Either way, I'm so proud of her."

"Actually, I think she's gotten so strong because of you, Ann. She did say that herself, didn't she?" Ann gave him a confused look and shook her head.

"You really think so?"

"I know so. You were there for her from beginning to end. She saw how reliable you were. She knew how much stronger you wanted to get and that inspired her. I've gotta say, I know how she feels because I can say the same."

Akira had to resist the urge to reach out and grab Ann's hand as his comment left her with a shocked expression. In the end, she ended up giving him a huge grin as she was at a loss for words.

The moment was abruptly interrupted as Ann cursed under her breath after checking her watch. "Dammit, there are no more trains at this time." She remained silent as she thought of other ways of going back home. Akira knew that Ann didn't live relatively close to Yongen-Jaya, so walking was definitely not an option, especially this late into the night. He knew that the idea was crazy and asking for too much, but he said it anyway.

"You can stay here if you want, but we have school tomorrow and you need your uniform." She looked at him, eyes widened as if she couldn't believe what he said. He was starting to regret he ever said anything.

"You have a few spare Shujin vests I can borrow, right?"

"Yeah, I do, but won't they fit too big?

Ann shook her head, giving him a small smile as if she didn't really mind that idea. "That won't matter too much. Are you okay with me staying here?"

"Of course. You can sleep in my bed. Don't worry, I'll take the sofa in my room." Ann smiled at him as she followed him upstairs.

Morgana was fast asleep on the bed as they reached upstairs. "Sorry for the mess," Akira said, "it's been a while since I've been here so I haven't really gotten down to cleaning it up."

"Don't worry. But wow, this place sure brings back memories, doesn't it? I kind of missed coming up here."

"Yeah, I missed it myself when I was back home. It has a charm to it."

As Ann took a seat on the edge of the bed – careful not to wake up Morgana – she had a distant look in her eye. Akira raised an eyebrow at her. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, I was just wishing I had something different to wear. These clothes definitely aren't comfortable for sleeping in."

"I can lend you one of my shirts if you want." Again, he spoke his mind without properly thinking through his words.

Ann let out a small cough, stuttering a little as she spoke, "A-are you sure? I mean it's okay if you don't want to—"

"Nah, it's okay."Akira said as he was already looking for a shirt for Ann to wear as well as his usual pajama clothes. He handed Ann the shirt, who could only smile shyly as she made her way downstairs to change.

It was only moments after Akira had finished changing that Ann had returned upstairs, and he had to control his jaw from dropping from the sight in front of him.

The t-shirt, while baggy and several sizes too large, was perfect for Ann. The white fabric made her skin glisten in the nightlight. Her turquoise eyes seemed to shine so bright, they put the moon to shame. The shirt reached to just above her thighs, her long, slender legs – smooth and elegant – stepped one in front of the other as she walked towards the bed.

Akira looked away quickly laying down on the sofa, but it was already too late. He felt his cheeks going warm. Thank god it was dark enough in the room so that she wouldn't notice. He took a deep breath as he wrapped his blanket around him, taking a deep breath and facing the fall.

"Hey, Akira?" Ann's soft voice was like a midnight breeze sneaking in through his window. She remained quiet for a few seconds as she wanted to see if he was still awake. "Thank you."


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

It was the same nightmare as before. Over and over and over and over again. Every night it was like a scratched record in his brain. There was no escaping it, there was no running away, and there was no hiding. It was hard to tell if it was dream or memory at that point. Every night, since last November, Akira Kurusu had the same nightmare.

He was sure he was going to wake up by the end of the dream, same as usual. Except it was different this time. He was sure the dream was about to end, signaling his release when he felt something smooth brush on his forehead. Akira, the light sleeper that he was, came to his senses quick enough to not react to this sudden contact in reality. Instead, he kept his eyes shut, as if he was never woken up.

It soon came to his realization that it was a small, soft, and silky hand that had woken him up as he felt fingers dig into his hair, nails gently caressing his scalp. He soon found the source of this as there was a hushed conversation happening before him, the hand playing with his hair having a mind of its own with each stroke as she spoke.

"He was murmuring some stuff a while ago. Is he usually like this?" Ann spoke barely above a whisper, but with an obvious concern.

"This pretty much happens every night. It's gotten pretty bad in the past." Morgana responded, not trying to keep his voice low at all.

"And he's sweating when it's so chilly today. Are you sure there's nothing wrong with him? Has he seen a doctor?"

"I haven't really gotten the chance to talk to him about it. Knowing this guy, he'd probably shrug it off and insist that there's nothing to worry about."

Ann let out a defeated sigh, Akira noted, but she continued nuzzling his hair for a few more seconds. He then heard her mumble something about having to get ready. Sure enough, he waited for the sound of footsteps to die out before reacting, but Morgana beat him to it. A small weight had been added to the already snug couch.

"You can stop pretending you're asleep now," Morgana said slyly, to which Akira could only smirk to as he sat up. "I knew you were awake when you started breathing more slowly as if you were calculating every breath. Also, you stopped talking in your sleep."

Akira scratched the cat behind the ears fondly. It felt strange, stretching his legs after sleeping on that cramped up sofa, but comfortable none-the-less. He soon changed into his Shujin Academy uniform, groggily walking downstairs only to find himself with Sojiro, Futaba, and Ann. The two girls were already having breakfast while having some sort of conversation with Sojiro.

"So you're finally up, huh? Here, we're having curry for breakfast." Sojiro smirked, even though he was doing his best to sound strict.

It seemed that Akira's vest really was too large for Ann, as it was obvious how much longer the sleeves were in comparison to her own arm, but Anna managed to pull it off by pulling up the sleeves a bit. Other than that, she was wearing her usual baseball jacket and red leggings.

Futaba, on the other hand, had her own special way of wearing the Shujin colors. Sure, she wore the polo shirt and skirt as it should be, but the vest was loosely hanging below her shoulders in typical Futaba jacket style. Akira had to admit, though, Futaba pulled it off pretty well.

The girls were almost done with his breakfast while Akira had barely started his own. "Now hurry up," Sojiro said, "you're going to make the others late." Akira smirked. Not that he needed any encouragement; it'd be hard NOT to wolf down Sojiro's curry.

Next to him, Akira heard Futaba cackle quietly to herself. Apparently Ann had noticed as well as she was giving Akira and Futaba a quizzical look. "Uh, Futaba?" She asked her carefully, "what's so funny?"

Futaba's grin only grew more maniacal as she looked over at Akira. Instantly, he knew that she was up to something devious, and was only proven right when she spoke. "Why didn't you tell me you two slept together?"

Thankfully Sojiro as out of earshot because Akira nearly choked on his coffee.

"W-what?! We are NOT doing that!" Ann stuttered indignantly. Akira noticed that she was strawberry red down to her neck.

"Oh, please! Wearing nothing but his shirt? Come on! Oh, oh! I get it, I get it! You didn't want anyone to know. Don't worry, my lips are sealed. Mwehehehe!" For some reason, Akira didn't feel any better after Futaba said that.

"Lady Ann would never do such a thing! ESPECAILLY not with him!" He also knew that Morgana was only trying to defend him, so he didn't feel too offended by that comment.

"Come on, you kids are going to be late." Thank god for Sojiro, as Akira knew that neither Ann nor him could take any more of that subject.

They were both careful to keep their distance from each other on their way to school. The last thing they wanted was Futaba to keep pressing on the matter. Although, from the looks of it, the smaller girl had already forgotten completely about the subject. Instead she was gleefully humming to herself, hopping whenever they had the chance to walk between stops, and hurrying them up. Did school really make her this happy?

"What are you in such a good mood for?" Akira asked her as the trio walked toward school gates.

"I just realized that we go to the same school now. Meaning, we get to do this every day. Meaning, I now have a train hopper partner! It got boring going on my own, you know."

He smiled at her excitement. He knew from experience that going to school alone wasn't what you'd call fun. At least last year he sometimes ran into Ryuji, Ann, or Makoto when he arrived at Shibuya. That made the second train a lot more entertaining.

Ryuji had been waiting for them at the school gates, an amused look on his face. "Yo, what took you so long? You're almost late."

"No, you're just too early." Akira responded before Futaba could cut in and announce the real reason for their delay.

"Whatever, man." The group walked inside the school and Akira felt a lot more familiar and in place than he did at his old school back home. The halls were crowded with students in deep conversations. The school bakery with its usual queue of people waiting for some if its products. Now THIS was his school.

"So you're in class D, right? Bummer. Would've been pretty damn cool if we were in the same class this year. Hey, but lucky you! You get Kawakami again this year. I always get Chouho, which sucks because she makes us speak English whenever she's in the room, and you know how much I suck at English." Ryuji stated.

"I'm sure she feels the same about your Japanese, Ryuji." Morgana retorted.

"What'd you say?"

"Hey is that transfer? Didn't he go back to his hometown like a month ago?"

"Maybe he committed another crime and had to be sent back here. Once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker, you know?"

"When you think about it, he really does look like a criminal without his glasses on, right?"

Same old Shujin with its same old rumors. At least that much hadn't changed. Akira noticed Ryuji glaring at the passing students as if he were about to yell at them. Ann was pursing her lips, but Akira couldn't blame her – she knew more than anyone what it felt to be on the receiving end of rumors.

"Don't worry about it," Akira said, ruffling his best friend's hair. "Who cares what they say?"

"Yeah, well, it still pisses me off that they spout so much bullshit without even knowing what's going on."

"Akira's right, you know," Ann chimed in after Futaba went upstairs to her own classroom, "there's no point getting worked up over it. Not like yelling at them will make them stop."

"Still, these assholes ain't got half an idea of the shit this guy's done for them or everyone else in this effin' city."

When Akira and Ann arrived at Class 3-D, Ms. Kawakami was already beginning the lesson, even though half the students were in the classroom. Kawakami gave Akira a searching look, her eyes asking for the reason of his return, but not due to annoyance, but concern. She gave him a wide smile, though, and spoke in the most cheerful tone he'd ever heard since he first arrived at Shujin.

"Kurusu, so happy to see you back! I'm sure you know, but just like last year I'll be your homeroom teacher. No need to introduce yourself, since this is pretty much the same classroom as before. Why don't you take your usual seat by the window behind Takamaki?"

He gladly took that offer, even though he planned on taking that seat anyway. It'd be too awkward sitting anywhere but the window, plus Akira didn't mind the view from there – and he wasn't just talking about the view outside of class.

It was very reminiscent of his first time in Shujin. The seat, the classroom, the teacher, even the rumors had been somewhat the same. Everyone still looked at him like he was a crazed murderer. Akira didn't care – at least, not as much as he used to. He had other things to think about. Besides, just like last year, he knew the rumors would die out as long as he did his best to stay out of trouble and studied a lot.

Out the corner of his eye, Akira noticed Mishima beaming at him. It was probably his imagination, but Mishima was probably surprised to see him back. He did spend a lot of time with him the year before. He made a mental note to talk to him after class.

It turns out that Akira didn't need much reminding, since Mishima walked over to his desk once lunch period started. "Kurusu, I thought I'd never see you again!"

Mishima had really changed in the past year. Not just in his personality, but as a person. His lack of confidence always gave him this slouch as if he were trying to shrink away from everyone to avoid notice. Now, his posture was ten times better. Even before he had noticed Akira, he had this bright smile and positive look in his eye. It also helped that his face was no longer beaten and scarred.

"Takamaki never mentioned you were coming back either. So are you staying permanently now?"

"To be honest, it was a surprise to me too when he told us that he was back." Ann added before Akira could respond.

"Yo, we havin' lunch together or what?" Ryuji suddenly appeared next to everyone, Futaba right behind him. "You wanna come too, Mishima?"

"No thanks, I've got some stuff I need to do for the student council."

"Student council?" Akira asked the others as they were walking upstairs, not sure where Ryuji was taking them.

"Mishima became student council president this year since Makoto already graduated." Ann stated matter of factly.

"He ain't no Queen, but he does a pretty damn good job." Ryuji stated.

"As if you'd know about running student council, Skull." Futaba grinned at him evilly.

"Oh, shuddup! Anyways, we're here already."

"The school rooftop? You know we're not allowed up here, right?"

"Who cares? Not like anyone's gonna come checkin' if we're up here or anythin'."

"I don't. I just wanted to make sure you knew the consequences."

"You moron! What if Mishima tells someone we're up here?" Ann glared at him as they all took seats on the rooftop, preparing their lunches.

"He don't care enough to tell on us. Besides, he doesn't even know we're up here, anyways."

They spent their lunchtime chatting gleefully. Akira felt nostalgic, coming all the way up here. This was where Ryuji and him and decided to take matters into their own hands and change Kamoshida's heart. This was the Phantom Thieves first hideout and all its initial members – except for Futaba – were up here together again. It almost felt like they were having a group meeting and planning out the infiltration. Akira would be lying if he said he didn't miss such things. He felt that now he needed the Phantom Thieves more than ever, but it was selfish of him to think that. There were other ways to get better besides having a change of heart. Besides, Persona users don't have palaces, anyway.

"Hey, me and Yusuke are headin' over to Ogikubo's today after school. Wanna come?" Ryuji asked Akira, a big smile on his face.

"You just had lunch and you're still thinking about food. I'm impressed," Futaba added. Akira simply nodded. He actually missed the ramen noodles that Ryuji once introduced him to.

"Cool. You girls can come too if you want."

"I can't," Ann said, frowning slightly. "I've got a photo shoot today, and I really can't be slacking in my work." Right, Ann was modeling still, She had promised Akira that she'd do her best in her modeling and take it more seriously, not only for herself and for Shiho, but for him. It was what kept her going, it was the will of her strength. Akira felt bad that he had almost forgotten about that.

"How's modeling been for you, Ann?" Akira asked her, to which Ann gave him a brilliant smile.

"It's been going great! Though, it's still not enough for me. I still feel like I need to get better."

"I know you will, Ann. I believe in you. Has that other model been giving you any trouble?"

Ann smiled once again at his words, and Akira noticed a slight blush. "You mean Mika? No, she agreed to play fair and square with me, but she still tries to get on my nerves sometimes. You should come with me next time!"

Akira grinned at her and nodded, confirming that he'd love to do that. He'd do anything to spend time with Ann. It would be like old times.

"The hell? You two are havin' a completely different conversation without us." Ryuji looked slightly annoyed, making Ann and Akira laugh at him.

"Oh, let them be Ryuji. I do wonder why that happens, right, Ann?" Futaba gave Ann an evil grin, leaving Ryuji to look even more confused. Ann could only glare at Futaba.

"Anyways, Futaba, you comin' with us or what?"

"Hm, hang out with a bunch of dudes or keep playing this new game I bought? While the sausage party sounds fun, I'll have to pass."

So they settled with just the three guys going for ramen.

The rest of the school day went by pretty dully. Of course, Akira had a pop quiz question directed at him, courtesy of Mr. Ushimaru. Akira answered the question with ease, to his classmates' surprise. Just because he was away didn't mean that he was going to start slacking on his studies.

Ryuji and him met up with Yusuke in Shibuya, the three of them taking a train to Ogikubo. The smell of warm soupy noodles was the first thing that caught Akira's attention. It was true that even scent can bring back memories, for Akira thought of the first time he came here with Ryuji. It had been a heartwarming moment between his friend and him, and it had been the first time Ryuji had openly showed his trust in him. Also, how could he forget the food? The ramen melted in his mouth with every spoonful. It was truly godlike.

The three of them were surprised to see that there wasn't much of a line to eat, but they weren't complaining. They gladly took their respective seats and ordered their usual food. At the food's arrival, Akira silently enjoyed the specimen before him. He really did miss the food in Tokyo. Yusuke and Ryuji were praising the noodle soup, Ryuji being especially candid by eating with his mouthful.

Akira felt quite guilty about one particular thing, however. Desire and Hope. He had surely lost the painting – no, it had been STOLEN by his parents' killers. He hadn't mentioned this to Yusuke, not because he was afraid of upsetting him, but because the right opportunity had not arrived. Surely enough, he was sad that the painting was no longer in his possession, and it made him feel horrible that Yusuke had trusted him with it. What kind of friend would he be now that he lost it? Akira liked to hope that Yusuke would understand, but he knew that the painting meant a great deal to him.

"Are you all right? You've barely finished your ramen," Yusuke asked him. Sure enough, Ryuji and Yusuke had already finished their bowl while Akira was halfway through his.

"Come on, you gotta eat more! Wanna have seconds, Yusuke?" It didn't surprise him that Ryuji wanted some here.

"That's quite all right. Though I haven't been lacking financially lately, I'd rather not spend my money so brashly. Did I tell you? I now have a job at the Flower Shop in Shibuya."

It really was a suitable place for Yusuke. Not because of the clientele or because he was overflowing with kindness, but because his knowledge for colors and their meaning would be perfect for picking out bouquets. Akira stated this to him, to which Yusuke nodded pleasingly.

"Yes, it truly is rewarding when people recognize your knowledge for aesthetics. It really is quite the job, and the pay check isn't quite bad. I understand that you worked there for some time, correct?"

"Damn, I really need to get a part time job. Is Boss hirin' at Leblanc?" Ryuji asked Akira hopefully.

"I don't think Sojiro would want you in his kitchen." Akira simply stated, causing Ryuji to glare at him.

"Some friend you are! Wait, maybe that convenience store in Shibuya ain't that bad of a job, right?"

After Akira had finished his bowl, they went their separate ways once they got off at Shibuya. Once he was crossing Station Square, Akira made a hopeful look around to see if he could find Yoshida, the speech giving man. To his disappointment, he was nowhere to be found that evening. He'd surely come around sometime soon, so Akira just made a reminder to come back another time.

Instead of going back home to Yongen-Jaya, Akira took a different train. The church of Kanda wasn't a far walk from the station, thankfully, so he felt refreshed once he walked inside. There rows upon rows of pews, leaving a central path to the altar. But what he was looking for wasn't at the back nor all the way to the front. She was sitting in the front pew, alone as usual, but very much accompanied by the shogi board and warriors in her lap. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, her chin in one hand as she'd scratch it. Hifumi Togo was just as passionate as ever about playing shogi.

Akira approached her quietly, but she didn't even look up from the board. She probably felt someone's presence, but could not be bothered enough to see who it was. To his amusement, Akira simply pressed her buttons even more by sitting down beside her. This offered him an annoyed glance from the shogi player, but she still did not catch on to who was sitting next to him.

"Need help creating a new move?" was all he said to catch her attention. Finally, upon recognizing his voice, she looked up from the shogi bored, her eyes full of confusion and shock. She rubbed them, as if she were hallucinating or as if she'd been playing shogi for too long before she spoke.

"Akira…? I thought you were some fan who wanted to invade my personal space. I'm so sorry."

Akira shrugged it off, giving her a reassuring smile. Despite Hifumi admitting that her shogi showdowns were rigged, she was still popular in the sport; if not for her talent, then definitely her looks.

"When did you return? This is all so sudden."

"Some things happened, but I'm more than happy to be back here." Akira wasn't ready to talk to her about his parents, but she would know eventually.

Hifumi gave him a criptic look, the same one when she'd analyze her opponets next move or their next tactic. "I understand. So what brings you here?"

"I was in the mood for a match, and who better to have a match with than my former shogi master?"

She giggled at that, but a fire in her eyes was surely lighting up. "Very well, you best be prepared to face the queen."

Naturally, Hifumi destroyed him in the match, but it was safe to say that both of them had a great time. He thanked her for her time and she thanked him for the match. It was soon time for him to go since it was starting to get late. The last thing he needed was Sojiro getting on his case for being out too late.

"Ah, you're back." Was the first thing he heard when he opened the doors to Leblanc, but Akira was extremely confused at the sight before him. Yes, there was Sojiro in his work outfit watching TV and acting suave and casual as useful. There was also a customer in, but Akira would put his mind around that later.

His first question was: What was Haru doing behind the counter? She must have seen the confusion in his eyes, but all she did was grin at him. "Akira-kun! It's so good to see you!" Akira had no idea how to respond to that.

"Ms. Okumura here offered to help out around shop. She's been doing pretty good." Sojiro said. That explained half of it.

"Sojiro-san is too kind helping me with my coffee blends. This will surely help out when I decide to open my own coffee shop!"

"That doesn't mean your scotch free from helping out, understood?" Akira nodded at Sojiro, but he was still somewhat confused. Now that Haru's presence had been cleared up, there was still the customer. He hadn't expected to see her here, and while he was happy about it, he knew that this didn't mean good news. She was drinking coffee at the counter, looking over at Akira with a careful smile.

"Akira Kurusu," he saw her lips move, eyes digging into him like they always did. Her regal, composed posture intimidating even when she was relaxed. Of course, she meant no harm. All she wanted to do was to help Akira, he was sure of it. She'd done it in the past with all the power she could, and this was no different. But why wasn't he ready?

"I understand that you don't want to talk about this," the capable woman said, "but please let me help you."

Sae Niijima had been waiting for him at the café.


	4. Chapter Four

Had Akira traveled back in time? Of course, the setting was a lot more relaxing this time around. There were no gray upon gray walls. It was not a tight shut room. There was no scent of wet concrete or sweat or even blood for that matter. Hell, his senses were top notch this time. But why did it feel so vivid?

Of course, he replayed that moment in his life every single night, analyzing every possible outcome, thinking about all the ways it could have gone wrong. But if what was happening right now had anything in common with back then, it was Sae Niijima sitting across from him; arms and legs crossed, determined look on her face, and the capability to make him speak all that he knew.

"I never thought it'd be you…" He almost heard her say. At least, that's what she said every night. Akira remembered that clearly well.

He hadn't noticed at first, but his breathing had gotten more dramatic once he sat at the booth in Leblanc. Sae seemed to stare at him patiently. She didn't bother asking if he was okay, it was clear enough that he wasn't. She didn't start bombarding him with questions. After all, there was no need to pressure him. It was just a normal conversation at his favorite café. So why was he on the brink of having a breakdown?

He mentally started counting between his breaths, trying to catch their rhythm. One, two, three, four. Stop. One, two, three, four. Stop. A pause between each four breaths, then he continued. One, two, pause, three, four. Successively he tried to concentrate on his surroundings while counting. There was the scent of coffee - that was the first thing that caught his attention. He loved coffee. He was in a leather booth seat, one designed for comfort and relaxation, so there was no need for him to be tense. One, two, three, pause, four. Stop. Sojiro was here, pretending to mind his own business. He was trying to keep Haru busy as well. One, pause, two, pause, three, pause, four. Stop.

Okay, he could see clearly now. He was at Leblanc, not in some underground cell. He was safe, not high on truth serum, not dozing off, not on the brink of an overdose, and certainly not waiting to be shot in the head.

Sae waited before speaking. Akira appreciated her patience. "You've been through a lot lately, haven't you?" There was a softness in her voice that was very rare to see. Akira remained quiet as she continued. "I'm not here to question you, I'm only here to remind you of some things… as well as an update on your parents' killers,"

That certainly caught his attention. He had heard nothing from the case since it happened. "I need you to understand," Sae started explaining, "That we brought back to Tokyo for two reasons. Number one, it was to keep you safe. Not just from the killers, but we were afraid of you getting reckless all by yourself. That leads me to reason number two: right now, more than ever, you need the people closest to you. Understood?"

Akira nodded at that. It was hard not to understand, really. He didn't trust himself being alone. He felt guilty enough. He thought he was the one to blame for everything. So what if he took matters into his own hands and ended up hurting himself? No, he'd rather avoid such selfish thoughts. They were tempting, but he wouldn't give in.

"Now, according from what the team investigating your case has told me, we know that there's more than one culprit. It WAS a burglary, after all. No way could one man empty a house on his own. Kurusu…" Sae paused, pursing her lips as if she were choosing her words carefully, "They believe your parents' death was purely accidental."

He let that sink in. Accidental? The hell was that supposed to mean, accidental? How could being brutally murdered in your own home be considered an accident? He looked up at Sae for the first time during the whole conversation, anger and confusion obviously painted over his face.

"It would seem that the culprits are simply burglars who break into people's homes, empty it, and then they leave. From what the police has said, very rarely are the murders involve in this chain of cases. They seemed to have miscalculated in your parents' case, therefore there were casualties. We've also had reports of burglaries occurring around the country, but none have occurred around Tokyo. It's only a matter of time."

Akira was shaking. He had to grip his knees to stop himself from pulling a Ryuji and punching the table. Those bastards… not only were they ruining people's lives, they were killing people to get their way. If he only he could use the Metaverse, he'd just need their names and… and then what?

The Phantom Thieves were done. No longer could he act upon his own justice. This wasn't a matter of what they'd done to him, but a matter of what they're doing to everyone else. They needed to be stopped.

"I know what you're thinking," Sae interrupted his thoughts once again. "But we promised to take care of it, remember? I know you want to do things your ways, but just trust me this once." Akira stared at her. Of course. That was the deal after all. The Phantom Thieves were gone, but Sae and the other adults would try to reform society in the right way. "I may no longer be a prosecutor, but I made it my personal duty to protect you and the others." There was a fire in her eyes, but she was smiling. How did she do it? How could she remain so strong despite everything? Akira envied her.

She got up from her seat, thanking Sojiro for the coffee. When she had walked out, Morgana peeked his head from under the table, his blue eyes shining like sapphires. "You should get some rest," he said, "it's been a pretty tiring day."

Akira had been dreading the weekend. He wasn't prepared for it. He wasn't brave enough to face it. Was he nervous? No, he was afraid. Afraid of so much. He knew who was going and he dreaded meeting them. He knew the things they'd say about him. Most of all, he was scared of how he'd feel during the whole ordeal.

But he had to go. He couldn't back down on them, especially now. He just wished he had more time to mentally prepare for the situation.

Sojiro and the Phantom Thieves were going with him, thankfully. He wasn't sure he could face them alone. Still, it wasn't enough to calm his senses.

Why was he being so stupid? Of course this had to happen. Why be scared now? He had faced far worse than this. He had laughed in the face of death. He had changed peoples' hearts. He had nearly died escaping Palaces. He even freed the general public from a god of control – But the funeral of his parents was a something on a whole different level. This wasn't him trying to survive, this was something that could fuck his mind and emotions and completely break him all over again.

Stop being a coward, he kept telling himself on the drive back to his hometown. It'd be the right thing to do, to face them, to apologize, and maybe even come to terms with everything. This was his chance to finally make things right.

Makoto had been driving the old van that they used to take him home the first time. The band was packed inside, but it wasn't too uncomfortable. Akira took the window seat next to Ann and Ryuji in the middle section of the van. Yusuke had been sitting in the passenger seat next to Makoto, his eyes dazzled by the view in front of him. Haru and Futaba sat all the way in the back, which seemed to please them as they had their own little driving game going on back there.

The mood was rather somber, though it was probably more out of respect than anything else. Everyone remained awfully quiet, only having tiny bits of small talk between each other. Akira wished for them not to worry too much, that he wouldn't feel offended if they joked around. If anything, it would help his mood and ease him up.

Everyone was wearing black, as accustomed by tradition. The girls wore black dresses, though similar in the fact that they were below the knee and had long sleeves, were differing in some aspects. Haru wore a black princess dress, Makoto's dress had a skirt but it wasn't as long as Haru's, and Ann wore and Empire dress. They all looked beautiful. The boys' attires were pretty much the same: Black suit, white shirt, black tie and black shoes. Yusuke's tie was neatly done, while Ryuji made it obvious that he struggled with his. Everyone made sure to wear flat shoes or sandals.

Akira found himself glancing over at Ann several times during the drive. She had done something with her hair that worked amazingly. He knew that it was respectful to have your hair above your neck in a time of mourn, and Ann made sure of that. Haru and Makoto didn't need to worry much since their hair were barely shoulder length. Ann's hair was a braid that led to a bun. It looked exclusively elegant, even with the extra touches that she so obviously added. A strand of her wavy blonde hair hung loose over her forehead, but it only added more character to the up-do.

It was a good thing that Ann was next to him because it brought him out of his thoughts, even just for a few seconds. Every time their shoulders touched, every time she tried bringing him into the conversation, and certainly every time she yelled at Ryuji for almost spilling his drink on her. For certain moments of the day and for a tiny snippet of time, Akira could smile.

When they arrived at their destination, the ceremony was already full of people. The actual funeral hadn't started yet, but the seats were beginning to fill. It was tradition for direct family to sit closest to the altar, but they were already filled with Akira's relatives, so he settled to sit with his group in the second row. None of his family members looked at him. None of them said anything to him. It was only a matter of time before they did.

On the dais, Akira could see two coffins situated in the middle, a bed of flowers surrounding them, keeping them in unity even after death. Amongst the flowers were photographs: One of his father who looked nothing like Akira, and one of his mother, who had his wavy raven hair and silver eyes. They were smiling in the photographs, it almost made Akira feel like they were smiling at him for once. Below the dais there was a box with a slit for envelopes. This was for the mourners to present their offerings of money. Akira had brought some of his own, despite being direct family.

They were in a vast colorful garden in one of the local parks. It looked too beautiful to hold a funeral. There were rows upon rows of chairs, and those chairs held rows upon rows of people. Some of them were friends of his parents. Some were family. Some were people from his hometown, including Akira's ex-friends – probably here out of respect for the family rather than for him, still, Akira appreciated the gesture. Some people he didn't even know.

He took his seat between Ryuji and Ann, his two closest friends. If there were any two people that could help him keep it together, it was them. The Phantom Thieves all put their offerings in the box together. Akira noticed some of his aunts giving him a look, though he was damn sure it wasn't pity. He decided to ignore it as he went back to his seat.

When the ceremony began, a priest began chanting. Akira didn't pay much mind to this as he was practicing what he had to do after the chant. He felt a little nervous, but he was sure that he could do it. The time came too quick, however, but at least he didn't have to do it alone. Every person attending the funeral formed a line before the dais, while the immediate family members made their way up. There was a box filled with ashes and another box filled with incense sticks. Everyone took their turn lighting three incense sticks and offering them to the dead, starting with the family, then to the mourners.

There was a wave of relief that came to Akira once the ordeal was done. There was more chanting afterwards. Some words were spoken for the dead, but after some time, there was one more thing that had to be done. It was time to place flowers into the casket. Yusuke had prepared the bouquets for the group, including Sojiro's. The bouquet consisted of white lilies, pink gladiolas, and white chrysanthemums. Yusuke thoroughly explained how these were the proper flowers to offer to the dead because each one of them had a meaning. The lilies symbolize innocence returning to the soul of the departed. The gladiolas were a sign of strength of character, sincerity, and moral integrity. Finally, the chrysanthemums were symbolic flowers of death.

Akira felt sick to his stomach when he arrived at their caskets. The lid was open and he could see clearly at their corpses. The look on their faces was peaceful, very different then when Akira had first found them dead. His mother was in a traditional kimono, while his father wore a suit. Despite their peaceful façade, they look almost mutilated. There were cuts on their foreheads from the autopsy, the final result making their skulls look misshapen. The clothes did a good job hiding the bullet holes, but the small scars were still prominent were some skin was exposed. Somehow seeing them like this, as if they were only sleeping and could wake up any minute, made him feel more revolted than when he had seen them in a pool of their own blood with a look of fear and pain on their faces, bullet holes deforming their bodies. Why was that? Because seeing them in a casket felt more real. The other situation felt like a nightmare, like he was stuck in a limbo of the most horrid things he could imagine. This, however, this was undeniable proof of the punishment he deserved for being the horrid child that they proved him to be.

He took a deep breath, shaking as his eyes began to water, blinking the tears away. The flowers were now inside the coffin. One by one, everyone else followed suit, and when the deed was done, the casket was nailed shut.

SNAP!

He couldn't help it. It all came crashing down as soon as he heard the sound of the coffin closing. They were gone. They were truly really gone forever. Why where the gone? Mother and Father… they no longer would scold him, they no longer would yell at him, they no longer would treat him like a problem – and he hated that realization.

The world came crashing down on his shoulders. He was shot point blank in the head as several days of denial disappeared and clotted together to clear his eyes of what was truly happening. His parents were dead and he couldn't do anything about it. He was breaking down, breaking down so quickly – all too quickly. There were tears cascading down his face, his nose was starting to run. He had never cried so much in his entire life, he had never felt a pain as big as the excruciating awareness of this whole situation. He was alone. He truly was alone from now on. They were right about him. He was undesirable, he brought misery, he was problematic, he was a dead weight burden to them—

And then he felt her arms wrap around him, gently tugging him towards her and Akira was too weak to fight back. He gave in because that's what he needed. Her faint perfume was easy to concentrate on as he buried his face in her neck. Ann's fingertips dug into his hair as she began caressing him so gently, it was distracting him from the pain. No, he didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve this. He couldn't do anything about anything right now, so he just let it be.

Her lips brushed against his sweating forehead. He was a mess. She had no need to kiss the top of his head, she only needed to remind him of her presence. Ann was there. Suddenly, Akira felt Ryuji's strong hands grip his shoulder before he felt Ryuji burying his head in his back, murmuring words of comfort, barely audible for him to hear.. There was a huge rustling of chairs and several arms wrapped around them. Akira could only notice the former Phantom Thieves in the midst. Even Sojiro came over, and in the most un-Sojiro like manner, he hugged the group, his wispy chin resting on top of Akira's head. He didn't deserve this much compassion.

They lingered around the garden after the ceremony for a little while. Akira had already calmed down and stopped crying. He had apologized to Ann for soaking her dress, but she just smiled at him kindly. His family members were still around, but they still pretended that Akira Kurusu never existed. And if they did, it was only to speak crudely of him. He caught every word of it.

"No, don't speak to him. Cousin or not, I don't want him influencing you to do the things he's down."

"His father always told me that all he did was cause problems. Despicable."

"Ungrateful little brat, from what I've heard. Probably got himself involved in some shady business and his poor family had to pay the price."

"There's no way I'm housing a monster like that in my home. My children do not need to be exposed to such behaviors."

Undesirable. Despicable. Ungrateful. Problem child. Problem child. Problem child. Problem child. Problem child. Problem. Problem. That's all he was.

He tried to ignore them. He tried to shake it off. It's just like school, he kept telling himself. Ignore them. But no, this wasn't like school. This wasn't the student body spreading petty rumors about him that were blatantly ridiculous. This was their family spreading the words and thoughts of his own parents. How could he ignore that? They were right. They were goddamn right and he couldn't prove them wrong. All he did was cause problems for everyone around him. He couldn't do anything to help anyone anymore, not even himself.

The first thing he did when he arrived back home was go to his room. He didn't bother giving any explanations to anyone. He didn't take the time to say anything to Morgana after the funeral. He just went straight to bed. Not even to sleep, just to slowly disappear from the face of the universe.


	5. Chapter Five

Akira had developed Futaba Syndrome some days after the funeral. In his free time after school he went to the only destination he deemed as his safe zone: his room. He had felt guilt for actions that could or could not have led to the hatred spread between his family members. He couldn't tell what was real and what was fake. The only certainty he felt within himself was that his constant bad mood would cause a crest of negative reactions from the people closest to him. It was best if he kept things to himself, as per usual.

Morgana – bless that cat – showed obvious signs of concern towards Akira. How couldn't he? He went everywhere with his human companion. From time to time he'd try to assure that Akira was feeling okay, to which Akira had to dodge answering these types of questions. Soon enough, Morgana understood that it was best not to pry him.

His friends were catching on as well, though Akira suspected that Morgana was to blame for this. During the weekend he's had to dodge several invites from his fellow Phantom Thieves. Akira loved the idea of spending time with his closest friends, but his heart wasn't in it. There was always that doubt and fear at the back of his mind itching him to believe that they'd just turn out like his family, though he knew how ridiculous that idea was. Still, as much has he tried to convince himself that he wasn't a burden, it didn't work. Throughout his whole life, all proof led to the same conclusion. Akira was dead weight, an anchor that had its use but now only works to drag everything around it down.

It was sad to him the amount of times he's had to make excuses just to avoid being around people. He hated himself even more whenever he ignored such requests.

Idle actions and the attic ceiling were eating his life away and that Saturday after school was no different. He barely spoke to Ann and Ryuji on his way out, having the urge to rush back home as soon as possible. Whether the two were suspicious of Akira, he had no intention on dwelling on the subject.

Morgana was sitting on the wooden floor, his tail flicking impatiently back and forth. Though Akira's eyes were glued to the ceiling, he could feel the cat's glare on him. Akira made no intention of acknowledging him. He felt bad for dragging Morgana down, but he had hoped to make it clear to him that he's free to do as he pleases while Akira spends his free time hating himself.

Besides drowning himself with his thoughts and staring at the dull wooden attic, his most interesting activities included ignoring texts messages and reading through the group chat. He was incredibly disgusted with himself when he willingly chose not to respond to the people who weren't explicitly Phantom Thieves. Hifumi had asked to see him when he had the time, Takemi wanted to give him the latest on Miwa's condition, even Shinya had asked to hang out with him. There was no surprise that Iwai, Toronosuke, Ohya,, Ohya, and Chihaya hadn't contacted him because they probably had no means of knowing about his return. Akira thought that this was for the best. What would they think of him after seeing him like this? He could already imagine the disappointment they'd bestow upon him.

Sometime during the week even Kawakami had cornered him. How she could read him despite how distant he tries to act, he had no idea. It was probably what most educators called "Teacher's Instinct," at least Akira imagined that's the excuse Kawakami would use.

Their conversation was awkward, which was new between their relationship considering how much Akira had known about the teacher's past job and the way the two would talk about that subject. It just goes to show how useless he was whenever the roles were reversed. Kawakami, as blunt as she usually was, was respectful and there was an obvious concern in her voice.

"I just wanted to make sure how you're feeling." It was no surprise that she knew about his parents. Not that the information was spreading among the student body like when his criminal record was leaked, Akira just assumed that the school staff had to know certain details about their students. "As your teacher it's my job to not only guide you in your studies but to also make you feel comfortable within the school. Given the current situation, I can understand how difficult it must be for you right now."

Akira remained quiet, not because he didn't know what to say, but because he knew that nothing he said would be worth it. Kawakami had a look that she was thinking hard how to convey her thoughts in a way for him to understand her point. There was no "I'm sorry". There was no pity. He greatly appreciated this. No one had anything to say sorry for anything and he knew that didn't deserve any sympathy.

"I just want you to know," she was beginning to fumble and stutter a bit, Akira noticed, "if you ever need someone at school that you can vent to, it's me. I owe you as much after everything you've helped me with."

All Akira could do was force a smile and thank her, but he knew that Kawakami wasn't convinced by that response. To be fair, who would? It's not like he gave her the most reassuring and trusting answer and it definitely wasn't the answer she wanted to hear.

He didn't notice that Morgana had fallen asleep on the attic floor until he heard knocks on the door. He sat up from the bed and began walking towards it until Sojiro began to speak. "I'm locking up for tonight, so see you tomorrow. Listen, I might need help tomorrow since you're free," Sojiro was obviously aware of Akira's current hobby of sulking in his room. A very wise attempt to get him out of it, considering Sojiro wasn't going to take no for an answer.

There was a slight pause afterwards, leaving Akira to wonder if he had already left. "I left some curry in the kitchen for you, since you didn't have much of a dinner today. You just got to heat it up. And kid?" Another five second pause. "Take care of yourself, okay?" Akira's heart sank. He could only imagine how Sojiro must feel to have another kid in his custody act like another shut in. He wanted to say more to Akira. Akira was sure of it, but Sojiro being Sojiro couldn't find the right words for it. The thought that Akira was making the only person willing to take care of him go through that much worry yet again didn't help Akira feel any better about himself.

"It's so great to finally to be able to work together!" Haru said cheerfully as they were both brewing coffee. Sojiro's idea of "helping him out" was to leave Haru and Akira run the shop while he had to go run some errands. Granted, it wasn't very busy considering that their only customers were their friends. Akira thought that Haru was great in the business, be it her cooking, brewing, or customer service. She could definitely handle herself in the shop and there was so much dexterity and care to everything she did, even doing the dishes. It was obvious to see that she loved working at Leblanc.

Working in the shop provided a mild distraction, which did help brighten Akira's mood, no matter how temporary. The coffee shop's atmosphere combined with his friends was good therapy. Once in a while he'd regress back to his dark thoughts, but would try to occupy himself with anything he could. Still, there was always a lingering dullness to his speech and actions, and no amount of work could hide his cheerlessness and lack of motivation.

There was constant effort to include Akira in the conversations between his friends, but most of the time he didn't offer much of an opinion. The only topic he felt slightly vocal about was one where he felt that he had no choice but to speak due to the embarrassment. Somehow they had gotten into talking about relationships. Akira wasn't paying much attention at first but it probably started with Morgana teasing Ryuji about how girls can't stand being near him and Ryuji boasting about how girls line up to date him or whatever. It was until Ryuji mentioned one small thing that Akira began paying attention.

"Yo, Akira," Ryuji was smirking and Akira could already hear the chuckle in his voice, "Didn't you and Makoto date or somethin'?"

Akira and Makoto nearly choked on their coffee with Makoto looking at Akira in total shock. Haru giggled at that reaction while Ann just raised her eyebrow but still looked amused.

"Ooooh, this sounds spicy. Spill! Spill the details!" Futaba chimed in cheerfully, which Akira easily ignored.

"Yeah, so what?" Akira answered directly at Ryuji.

"Really now? When was all this happening?" There was a slight edge in Ann's voice that made Akira flinch in guilt. Then again, what reason did he have to feel guilty? It's not like the two of them, Akira and Ann, were together.

"Th-that was only to help my friend Eiko! You're all misunderstanding this." Makoto looked extremely flustered, but Ryuji looked like he was far from done with the topic.

"No, I'm not talkin' about the fake boyfriend thing! You two went on some dates after that shit, right?"

Makoto was now glaring at Akira. "You _told_ him about the fake boyfriend thing?"

"Excuse me," Haru asked amidst giggles, "what's 'the fake boyfriend thing?'"

"Yes, _Akira_ , what's 'the fake boyfriend thing?'" Ann asked while smirking, but there was still the harsh undertone with the way he said his name, which confused Akira. Was she mad at him or was she enjoying putting him the spotlight? Perhaps both?

"I asked Akira to be my fake boyfriend so we can spy on Eiko's boyfriend by pretending to go on double dates!" Makoto's face was as red as Morgana's scarf.

"So considering the circumstance, you went from the fake boyfriend to the real boyfriend, correct?" Yusuke asked, a genuine interest in his eyes.

Akira glanced at Ann who had pursed her lips once Yusuke mentioned this. She looked as confused as he felt, but the look in her eye seemed a little sad. It didn't help that she was avoiding looking at him as well.

"Well, not exactly," Akira began answering Yusuke, "we just thought it was worth a shot and to see where things went from there."

"Helluva controversial couple that would've been, right?" Ryuji once again spoke up, obviously enjoying what he caused. "Miss Student Council Prez dating Shujin's juvenile delinquent. Your sister woulda been pissed!"

"So… did it work? You two dating and all." Ann asked softly and hesitantly, as if the answer would be one she didn't want to hear.

"Obviously not, otherwise they'd be doing all sortsa coupley shit around us by now." This Ryuji a deadly glare from both Ann and Ryuji.

"Akira would make a great boyfriend," Makoto began saying, "but I appreciate him more as a friend."

"We just kind of figured it wouldn't work out anyway, once it was the real deal. Besides, I kind of started having feelings for someone else around that time." Akira felt a bit timid sharing that much information with his friends, but that was enough to rile Ryuji up.

"Wait, you do? What the eff, man! Why haven't you told me anythin' about this crush? Who is she?"

"I'm definitely not telling."

"Awwwww booooring," Futaba started saying. "Even so, it's definitely pretty obvious who it is, to me at least."

Ryuji looked at Futaba and started speaking up but was interrupted by Haru. "She's incredibly lucky to have someone like you have an eye for her! So romantic!"

"I must agree," Yusuke added with a soft smile, "She must truly be an amazing girl if you like her. Whoever it may be, it's rather inspiring to see the fruits of love develop within you. If you ever need help in writing some poems for her, be sure to let me know."

"Uh, sure thing, Yusuke." Akira glanced at Ann who had gone awfully quiet lately, but there was a small smile plastered on her face along with a tint of rosy cheeks. Needless to say, Akira had a better day compared to the last few.

The rest of the week had Akira going back to his routine of staying in his room after school. He knew that the giddy feeling from last Sunday was temporary. He could tell that all the negative emotions would swallow him back. The most pathetic thing about it was that he didn't bother to do anything about it. He forced himself to interact with people when he had to. He unwillingly had to leave his room for simple tasks such as eating and going to the bathroom. He could tell that everyone around him was getting sick of his shit.

The first one to visit his bedroom door was Ryuji, but Akira granted no welcome for him inside his quarters. He knew that the rest of the group was waiting downstairs, expecting results. He knew that eventually it would come to this. They would start taking turns, give him a pep talk, and try to convince him that he should leave his room. How he wished that they'd just prove him wrong. What he wanted to hear most was that he wasn't a burden, but this attitude he was partaking in, this conduct towards the people around him only caused more distance between him and the world. Deep down there was knowledge of his childish behavior and Akira loathed himself for not even trying to stop. Why was it so damn difficult?

He heard Ryuji thump down to sit on the staircase on the other side of the door. He was pretty quiet as he gathered his thoughts and translated them into words. Knowing Ryuji, Akira knew that this would take some time, which he had no problem with. He sat against the doorframe opposite Ryuji, so that he could hear him properly, should he decide to speak.

"Akira, come on man. You gotta get out of there. We can read you like a book, man. Plus, Morgana's been tellin' us what's been goin' on in here." Akira tried to glare at the cat but soon realized that he was probably out there with the rest of the group. "Listen, it ain't your fault. And yeah your family's pretty shitty," Akira took no offense to that, but Ryuji didn't really understand what it felt to be hated by your own blood. "But listen who gives a shit about them, right? What's important is that ya got yourself a different family now. Me and the other guys are always here for you and I just thought you should know that."

Both remained silent for a good few minutes. Ryuji suspected a reply but it seems that he wasn't too upset when he didn't get one. "Right, just hope you think on that." Akira heard him move about as he got up and went back downstairs. There were mumbles, but he couldn't bring out what they were saying.

As he predicted, they consecutively took turns in trying to talk to him, but neither got closer to an answer than the last. He silently wish he could find the right way to apologize to them for the frustration he was causing them.

Makoto offered some insight on good ways of opening up to people, but soon realized that she wasn't very good at the whole advice giving, but she did mention that she was a great listener, which Akira could vouch for. Yusuke was citing proverbs and quotes and went on about sometimes when someone is at their lowest point it means that they're about to achieve great things and that such was the case with a lot of artists. Futaba didn't argue against Akira but she did mention that she understood what it felt to be so afraid of everything that you could barely leave her room and that she would try to save him like he did for her. Haru offered empathy for she knew firsthand what it felt to lose a parent, especially one you felt resentment for.

The only person who didn't go upstairs was Ann. Akira didn't blame her, though. In fact she appreciated Ann's gesture the most. Out of everything, she understood what Akira needed and that was just a little time. She had texted him around the time that everyone was talking saying: When you're ready, please call me, but that doesn't mean that I won't stop trying.

It had been a good two days since he had heard from his friends, and Akira was beginning to worry that they'd already lost interest in him. Perhaps it was best for them to forget about him for the time being. That way they could move on and leave the shallow anchor behind. It still hurt, of course, feeling like dead weight to the only people who tried to help you, but he was to blame, as usual.

He heard footsteps coming up, but Akira assumed it was just Sojiro. There was a soft knock, confirming that it was indeed not Sojiro. The person beyond the door, whomever it may be, kept knocking to no hint of stopping. At this point Akira could already tell that it was either Ryuji or Futaba trying once again to get him out. He chose to ignore it.

Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock. It was never ending to the point where it was already starting to get annoying. Akira got up from his bed and stomped to the door, but even this didn't cause the knocking to stop.

"I'm sorry you guys, but I just don't know what to say to you." He spoke against the door and finally the knocking stopped.

"How about to me?" Said a familiar yet unfamiliar voice from across the door. Akira couldn't quite place it, but he was sure he'd heard that voice long ago. It was one of his earliest memories from Tokyo, that's for sure. But why couldn't he place a face to it?

Not even bothering to ask who it was, Akira unlocked the door, impatiently opening it only to stare back at the confused look on Shiho Suzui's face.

A/N: Just wanted to say sorry for the lack of updates lately. Since have been pretty hectic with my laptop breaking down and stuff. Needless to say, thank you all so much for the reviews and feedback! I usually try to respond to them via PM. I greatly appreciate any form of feedback you guys can give, positive or negative. It'd help me improve and would help out a lot to know what I'm doing wrong or right.


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